Daniel is the past Director of the Spirit Singers, which, with great excitement, merged with the Gospel Choir in 2021 to form the All Church Choir, under the direction of Paul Boutte. He now assists Paul, playing piano and singing at masses, funerals, and weddings. His personal statement is below:
I’ve loved music from a young age, and started playing piano at eight years old. In 2014, I earned my Bachelor’s degree from the Eastman School of Music, majoring in both french horn performance and music composition. I next earned a Master’s degree in horn performance from Northwestern University. I then freelanced in Chicago for a year, including getting to work with many different churches. I studied conducting for two years in Ann Arbor, MI, and then came back to Rochester to keep studying conducting at Eastman in Fall of 2019. That’s when I started working at Spiritus, where I deeply appreciate the opportunity to contribute to our regular celebrations and special events with the craft that I love.
In the last several years, I have become an increasingly devoted practitioner of Buddhist meditation, and student of Buddhist philosophy. That practice has opened me to spiritual experience and helped me greatly in my day-to-day life. I’m also passionate about the role psychedelic plant medicines can play in healing and spirituality. At home, I spend time listening to music, reading about various topics, and cooking yummy vegan meals.